Lucky 13

We just passed a couple of milestones with Kyle. Yesterday marked 13 weeks since Friday, June 13th, the day Kyle was born. Today is September 13th, which means Kyle is now 3 months old, which just so happens to be 13/52nds of a year. Isn't that something? Heck, if you put a "1" in front of 3 months, you get "13." So, as you may guess, 13 is a key number in Kyle's life. Just take a look at 6/13/21, the day when Kyle will become 13 years old. If you add the numbers of that date together, 6+1+3+2+1, you get 13. Weird.

So, to mark this week's milestone, we're changing things up. We're ending Kyle's weekly chair photos with week 13. We'll continue taking those pictures, but now on a monthly basis - on the 13th of each month. That means the next time you see one of those photos is October 13th.

I'm guessing we'll keep doing the monthly thing at least until he's 13 months old, and then we'll probably do the yearly thing until he turns 13 years old. From there, we'll go decades until he's 130. At that point we'll probably have to stop doing the pictures altogether, since I'm guessing by then the bear will be a valuable antique, and we'll probably have to sell it to pay for gasoline.

Anyway, speaking of pictures, we have a new round of photos from Kyle's third month, complete with captions. You can view the slide show below, or click this link to go to the photo album: Kyle's Third Month.

With this milestone, I figure it's a good time to stop writing a weekly post on the Baby Beaudry blog. I will continue to write here, but only once a month, when we have pictures to share. Instead, I'll write most of my Kyle stories on my new blog, Daveweekly.com (for the dyslexic: WeeklyDave.com works, too). So, I hope you continue to join me there. If you're receiving posts from Baby Beaudry via e-mail, you'll have to sign up on the DaveWeekly site to get e-mails from there (I can't transfer the e-mail list). Let me know whether you have any problems with that.

Enjoy the photos, and see you at DaveWeekly.com!

(Diaper) Change you can believe in

The past two weeks were "Politics Gone Wild!" in our household, and by "wild" I simply mean politics had invaded our television. There was really nothing else wild about the weeks, unless you count the squirrel that's been scratching at our apartment window. Each night, after putting Kyle to bed, Jennifer and I would try desperately to stay awake through both the Democratic and Republican conventions, either by hitting each other in the shoulder or throwing beer in each other's faces. After all, this is HISTORIC stuff, and we didn't want to miss any of it... unless, of course, there was a good movie playing on cable.

After this election, Kyle will be living in an America that has either elected an African-American president, or a female vice president. This is phenomenal, and it makes me proud of our country. I'm hoping that either way, this election will open the floodgates, and every president and vice president afterwards will be either female or a minority. That way, in about 40 years, it'll be rare to see a white male receive a presidential nomination. That's when Kyle can step in and be a candidate of "change."

I don't want you to think that we have outlandishly high expectations for the little guy. After all, I'd be perfectly happy with him becoming just the Secretary of State. However, a parent can dream about the possibilities, and I have reason to believe that Kyle would be a great president, even if he was elected today.

First of all, Kyle is not afraid to stand up to authority. It doesn't matter who's holding him - if Kyle sees an injustice or wants food, he will let it be known and won't stop crying until a solution is found. Second, he is willing to work across party lines. I have seen him coo and smile at Republicans, Democrats, Independents and Socialists, and he has treated each one fairly. He's also not afraid to spit up on someone from his own party, either, if it means achieving what's best for his country. Third, he's a great asset to the American GDP: since his birth, Kyle has forced Jennifer and I to pump hundreds of dollars into our struggling economy, and we know he's just getting started.

Sure, some environmentalists might have a problem with the whole disposable diaper thing, but Kyle has been researching alternatives (such as his onesies and bouncy seat), and he promises to have complete independence from Big Huggies within five years, barring any unforeseen circumstances. Critics might also have a problem with his leadership experience. However, that really shouldn't matter, since both Democrats and Republicans no longer seem to be requiring experience for their presidential/vice presidential tickets.

Kyle is excited about all that he can do for America. I fully expect him to form an "exploratory committee" once he starts crawling. But why wait 'til he can vote, or even run for president? Write in Kyle for President (Jennifer for VP) this November! ... unless, of course, you live in Florida, Ohio, or any other state where your vote actually counts.

Silent night

It has taken me a while to write this entry. I don't want to jinx anything, and I could be doing that tonight. But I guess it's time that the truth comes out: Kyle likes to sleep. At night. I know, I know. It's stunning. It's shocking. And, quite frankly, Jennifer and I are awfully lucky.

It wasn't always this way, of course. When we first brought the little guy home, he took the "city that never sleeps" thing to heart. Or rather, he took it to heart when it came to the evening. Kyle would be drowsy and sleepy all day, but as soon as his head hit his crib sheet, it was party time! And Mom & Dad had to take part, or else King Kyle would force us to. We'd try to rock him to sleep, we'd sing songs to him, or we'd read him Jennifer's law books, but nothing would work. He'd seem to go to sleep, only to wake up and go nuts as soon as we put him in the crib, as if we accidentally hit the "reset" button on a detonated nuclear bomb.


But now all that's changed, or so it seems. Kyle goes to bed around 9:30 PM, and he doesn't start wailing until around 6 AM. 6 AM - no earlier! The sun is rising, birds are chirping, clouds, trees and chipmunks are singing, and Jennifer and I are waking up after about 7 hours of straight sleep. It's all beautiful. Granted, this could all change, as we hear kids like to switch things up once you're on to their "game." But we've appreciated it so far. Having sleep has allowed me to speak in complete sentences while reducing my crankiness. I am also no longer walking into walls or forgetting things, like "always remember where you put your toothbrush" or "underwear first, THEN pants." Again, it's all beautiful.

I know we'll pay for this if we have a second child, so we're savoring it while we can. And if you have a child and this entry made you jealous, I do have a few diaper stories that might make you feel better. They're rather dreadful, and I hear they're somewhat unique to our child. So, give me a call... but not late at night. I'll be sleeping then.

The holy wail

I'm proud to say that the demons have been officially chased out of our son.

Kyle was baptised on Sunday in front of a couple dozen friends and family members. He's a good Christian now, which means all his cursing, swearing, and pushing old ladies will have to come to an end. The demons refused to go quietly, however. Kyle wailed and squirmed throughout the Christening. His cries were amplified by the church echos, and at times he made it difficult for us to hear the priest. Often we just nodded or said "yes" to the priest's questions. I think he asked us to help Kyle live virtuously, though with all the noise he could have asked us to buy a vacuum cleaner or a pound of turkey sausage and we still would have said "yes."

We were honored to have had so many friends and family members at the church for the baptism, and we know there were so many more who were there in spirit. My sister-in-law Lauren took some great pictures of the ceremony, and I figured you'd all like to see them:

Kyle's Christening

There was a big party at our place Sunday afternoon, so Kyle didn't get any quiet time until Monday, which just so happened to be Jennifer's birthday. Kyle seemed to know that, since he was all smiles that day, and we enjoyed a quiet dinner together as a family.

On Tuesday, though, the demons were back - errr, I guess I now mean "the angels." Angels screaming through Kyle. All day long. We truly are blessed.

New frontiers

First, I'd like to send my congratulations to our dear friends Matt & Amanda, seen here with Kyle:



Matt & Amanda were married in Atlanta this past weekend. They did that in hopes of one day becoming a babysitter for Kyle. They still have to meet several more qualifications, but right now I'd say their chances are looking pretty good. We had a great time at their wedding, and we wish them much happiness.

As Matt & Amanda entered into a new life together last week, Kyle entered his third month. He's getting bigger, and making a lot more baby noises (often at night, or right before he's supposed to go to sleep). You can take a look at how much he's grown in a new photo album:

Kyle's Second Month

Finally, in this post of "new frontiers," I am announcing the debut of my new blog, which I humbly named DaveWeekly.com. Don't worry - I'm not retiring the baby blog... yet. I will, though, update it less frequently in the coming months, as DaveWeekly will eventually become my main blog. So why not check it out now?:

I've appreciated all the love you've given the baby blog, and I hope you join me at my other site. Enjoy!

He's got a new attitude

Kyle turns two months old on Wednesday. A lot about him has changed since he came home from the hospital: he has put on quite a bit more weight, he now smiles often, and he's found new ways to dirty a diaper (and its vicinity). One of the most noticeable changes is in how he communicates. Kyle still rules the roost, but now he does it with a little more finesse.

That doesn't mean he has abandoned his Apocalypse NOW! cry. No, in fact, that one has become even more dramatic. As the decibels soar, Kyle twists his body and turns his shoulders so that his face is planted in his bed, as if he was shouting, "You better do as I say or I will EAT THIS MATTRESS!!!!" It's an empty threat, of course. First of all, Kyle couldn't possibly be hungry enough, since he likely ate just an hour earlier. Second, he has no teeth.

But Kyle is no longer a one-trick pony. These days, in addition to the Apocalypse NOW! cry, there's also the "Apocalypse Maybe," which often happens in the middle of the night. This is one or two major parent-waking wails, followed by a silence that could last an hour. Apparently Kyle woke in the middle of the night, thought he was drowning, screamed, realized he was only drooling, and then went back to sleep slightly embarrassed.

There's also the lesser "either the world is ending or I just want to suck on something" cry. Kyle performed this little act during his first trip to a restaurant last week, at a little dive bar known as the Park Slope Ale House. It's a lower-volume cry, and it often comes on slowly, gradually amplifying like a siren or a really annoying car alarm. It often can be stopped in time, if one is properly equipped. We were fortunate to have a pacifier with us that night, since Kyle thought my lager was too bitter.


(Above: Kyle & his dad at the Ale House)

Finally, there are those rare moments when Kyle doesn't cry at all. Sometimes he just kicks like crazy when he needs a diaper change. When he's hungry, he occasionally puts his hand to his mouth without making a sound, like he's doing in the picture I took below using a camera phone.



So, Kyle is getting better at communicating with us, which is a good thing. Hopefully he'll shed himself of the head-twisting Apocalypse NOW! scream before he gets too old. I don't think it would go over well on a date.

A Kyle grows in Brooklyn

Okay, time now for more cute pictures. Take a look at this one of Jennifer and Kyle, shot about a week and a half ago:



Now feast your eyes on this one, taken last Thursday during a trip to Brooklyn's Prospect Park:



Notice a difference? If you said that Kyle looks a bit larger, you're right. Last week, our little one went through what the experts call a "growth spurt." These things typically happen several times during the early weeks of life. Kyle packed on some extra baby fat in just a few days, and he's come dangerously close to growing out of a good number of his onesies. He soon may need to borrow my shorts.

All this growing has made Kyle HUNGRY. Last week, he would demand to be fed every hour, and each feeding would take about an hour and a half. One of Jennifer's friends, who gave birth a couple months before Kyle arrived, said a mother might as well keep her top off all day during these growth spurts. That way she'll be ready for the baby's constant cravings. While I frequently asked Jennifer to consider this sound advice, she chose not to take it, since being topless would make things a little awkward around here, especially when we have friends and relatives visiting. Instead, she had me use a bottle to help out a bit more with the feedings and prevent Kyle from devouring her. Fortunately for all of us, Kyle's growth spurt now appears to be over. His diapers no longer fit like they used to, and he seems to be able to kick farther, but we won't know just how much Kyle has grown until he goes to the pediatrician and makes another attempt at wetting the scale. We have a hunch he'll show some big gains.



The end of the growth spurt has given us more "happy Kyle" time, and less "psycho hungry angry Kyle" time. That's made us all feel better, and has allowed us to do things besides feeding him, such as showering and eating lunch ourselves. Who knows? If Kyle continues to be in such a good mood, we might go out to eat as a family. I'd certainly welcome that, because I think I might be going through a growth spurt myself. I could really go for a burger right now... or maybe two.